


The one with Sparkles and the Dog Shelter

by QueenC



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: ChalexReverseBang2020, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Inspired by Art, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26856286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenC/pseuds/QueenC
Summary: Charlie St. George has a secret. He is not a fan of dogs.Then how exactly it is that he ends up volunteering at a dog shelter during the spring of his junior year is a mystery Charlie himself can't explain.(Alex Standall has everything to do with it, obviously.)
Relationships: Charlie St. George/Alex Standall
Comments: 41
Kudos: 144
Collections: Chalex Reverse Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oka3v3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oka3v3/gifts).



> HELLO Y'ALL long time, no see! This is my contribution #1 for the Reverse Bang! I hope you guys all enjoy it. 
> 
> Artwork by my amazing collab partner OKA can be found [here](https://ok3v3.tumblr.com/post/631231443450904576/i-drew-for-the-chalex-reverse-bang-2020-by). Go give her some love cause her art surely deserves it <3
> 
> Canon divergent story taking place at some point after the Find Your Drink party. Just a heads up.

There's one thing about Charlie St. George that always comes as a surprise to those around him. It is a detail he's actually not very keen on disclosing. He knows how he sounds when he says it out loud, so he prefers to keep this little piece of information close to his chest, safe from judging looks and disbelieving stares. 

Charlie is not a fan of dogs. There it is, you heard it correctly. He is not a dog person. It is not so much that he hates them, he just. Doesn't get the appeal.

It probably has a lot to do with his petless childhood. Even before his mom got really, really sick, she already had a somewhat fragile health that didn't allow much for tending to a dog. On top of that, his father spent a lot of time on business trips, which also meant he couldn't help Charlie in taking care of a pet either. When Charlie was younger, he remembered having a faint wish of owning a dog, taking it for walks, and letting it share his bed on colder days. But it soon became clear that it would never happen — and he started to let go of his wistful, childish dream bit by bit, to the point that now, at the top of his 17 years old, he couldn't feel more detached from dogs if he tried. Mind him, he could recognize they were funny and loyal and endearing, but that was about it. Charlie didn't feel that pull towards dogs that some people seemed to feel — that instinct that had them immediately drawn to their furry friends, cooing and making faces and goofy voices as they kneeled beside their happy, excitable balls of fluff to give them a good scratch behind the ears. 

Now, Charlie knew this was standard behavior to anyone who was really into dogs. He had seen Luke roll around in the grass with Dalmatian puppies once. He had seen Diego and his staunch face going starry-eyed just by glancing at a Yorkshire at the mall last week. He knew people could make complete fools of themselves when faced with the unwavering cuteness of a tail waggling.

What he didn't expect was _Alex_ to be one of those people. 

Granted, Alex still held on to most of his dignity — he surely wasn't rolling around in the grass, for what Charlie was very thankful — but the infallible signs were there. The love-stricken look, the goofy smile — he was even going for the baby voice, and Charlie was sure he was gaping inelegantly as he watched the scene play out in front of him. _Alex had a baby voice._ Who would have thought. 

The older boy wavered a bit on his weaker leg when the overexcited Golden Retriever all but threw itself at him, front paws resting eagerly on Alex's shoulders. Charlie immediately kneeled down by his side to support him if necessary. Alex had complained about his knee hurting earlier as they walked but if you looked at him now, crouching on the ground and smiling to the point of his dimples making an appearance, you could never guess. 

The restless furball nudged forward and gifted Alex with a mighty lick to his cheek. Alex laughed, delighted. Charlie blinked, having a hard time believing his eyes. He didn't think he'd ever seen Alex this carefree before.

And the weirdest, weirdest thought at the back of Charlie's head — and while it was weird, it wasn't less true in the slightest — was how much he would like to be that dog now, if that meant he'd get to make Alex smile like that. 

“What's its name?” Asked Alex to the dog owner, who waited patiently a few feet away, hand firm on the leash, probably too used to her pet's displays of affection towards strangers to be in any rush. 

“His name's Lucky,” the girl answered with a smile, and what a fun and original name that was, Charlie thought unimpressed.

But Alex didn't seem bothered at all, judging by the way his voice returned to a higher pitch and his scratching on the dog's ears turned more frantic. “Lucky, are you? I'm sure you are. Just look at you! You're one lucky boy alright.”

Lucky barked happily in response and all but tumbled to the floor, belly up and tongue lolling out of his mouth, waiting expectantly for some belly scratches. Both Alex and the girl laughed at the Golden Retriever's eagerness.

Charlie couldn't do anything else but blink and stare. Yeah, Lucky was a fitting name indeed. 

So let's rewind a bit to how all this started — let's go before the moment they ran into the dog at the park and Charlie found out, to his utter amazement, that Alex was a softie. It was a bright, beautiful Saturday, and Charlie had spent one solid hour trying to convince Alex for them to do something together. To his dismay, Alex was being difficult on purpose, specifically because all of Charlie's ideas involved being outdoors.

By the end of winter break, Alex had agreed to tag along with Charlie for some walks in the park once the weather turned nicer. Unsurprisingly enough, he was stalling on his promise ever since spring started. Charlie was having none of it anymore — and he was also not above dirty moves to get his way. By dirty moves, he meant some light badgering, shameless guilt-tripping, and his thousand-watt smile.

It had taken a full combination of the three — and also dragging Alex's oblivious mom into the conversation, with her promptly agreeing that it was a brilliant idea for Alex to get out of the house for some exercise (at this point, Alex was glaring daggers at Charlie's smug grin). A lot of tactics later, here they were, walking side-by-side at Eisenhower Park, smooth green grass giving way under their sneakers as they headed to the jogging track.

“I wouldn't have pegged you for a manipulator,” sneered Alex, hands shoved inside his pockets as he trailed lazily beside Charlie. “I see what you did there, with my mom. Well played.”

Charlie laughed, shrugging his shoulders, not apologetic in the slightest. “Well, she only agreed with me because there was merit in my request. I doubt she'd go against her own son otherwise,” he threw a sideway glance at Alex, biting back a smile. “I guess no matter how much she loves you, she can still tell you're in dire need of vitamin D.”

“Shut up,” Alex rolled his eyes, and this time Charlie did let his grin wash over his face. “I'm having plenty of sun already. In case you've forgotten, I haven't missed a single one of your stupid practices over the last month.”

Charlie felt his heart picking up on his chest, even as he hummed his agreement in a deliberately easy manner. “That much is true. Though I must say I think you're only sticking around not to lose your ride home.”

“That is part of the reason,” conceded Alex. “But honestly, there are only so many rides I can wait around for before getting bored or sunburned. Or both. Don't fish for compliments, you know I mostly stay because of you.”

And you see, it was when Alex made this sort of offhanded, unassuming comment that Charlie was thrown in a loop in his head as to what the older boy was aiming to say. Did Alex even know he was flirting? Actually — _was_ he flirting, or was Charlie reading him wrong? It was too hard to tell for Charlie's likings. The only thing the quarterback could say for sure was that he and Alex had grown closer than he ever imagined they would over the last month. 

And this was a bittersweet novelty for Charlie because as much as he enjoyed being a closer friend to Alex, it also remained true that this was all that they were — friends. To make matters worse, when Alex slipped these comments here and there, it helped nothing with Charlie getting over his crush (a crush that was going on for an embarrassingly long time already but listen, it wasn't Charlie's fault that Alex was so endearing with his moods and his quirks and his iconic eye rolls). He was powerless to the kindness that laid beneath Alex's standoffish behavior — no matter how much Alex tried to sell his tough exterior, Charlie still could see underneath it. It had the side effect of making him crush even harder.

So he was left in a limbo that had him and Alex too close for your average just-friends, while also not close enough to be anything more than that. It drove Charlie slightly mad on occasion. To the point where he sometimes had a hard time figuring out where he stood in all this — should he make a move? Would it scare Alex off — would it put an end to their friendship?

Charlie honestly didn't have an answer to these questions. And as the days passed and he and Alex grew more comfortable around each other, it was harder and harder not to just get swept by the moment and give in to his feelings. He could count at least three different times over the past week when Alex had caught him staring. Intently. The older boy would just snort and roll his eyes at him but the slight tinge of pink on his cheeks let Charlie know that he wasn't clueless as to how Charlie saw him — while his little smile after every one of these instances told Charlie he wasn't that much opposed to the idea. 

He had some telling signs coming from Alex too. It's not as if Charlie hadn't caught him staring back — and the way he got all flustered without Charlie saying a word was so endearing the younger boy actually tried to catch him in the act whenever possible. Charlie had noticed Alex's lingering looks and his lurking around football practices, and his coming up with Spanish homework that wasn't even close to the due date just so Charlie could tutor him after school hours. So it's not as if Charlie was clueless. But as far as he knew, Alex's only other experience with guys hadn't ended well — and as for Charlie himself, it was the first time he'd found a boy he truly liked, so he wanted to approach this with caution. He wanted to do it all right and with care, so there was no room for things going wrong.

Of course, this didn't take into account Charlie being completely thrown off by Alex putting aside his tough exterior to coo over a damn dog in the park. Charlie was _smitten_. There was no other word for it. His heart wasn't prepared for this turn of events. 

“Are you all right?” Asked Alex once they were walking down the jogging track again, Lucky and his owner heading the opposite way. “You look a bit strained.”

Charlie just stared back at him, at a loss for words. The knees of Alex's jeans were stained with dirt and little flecks of grass still clung to the fabric. There was also a wet patch at the front of his plaid green shirt where Lucky had slobbered over as he laid his head against Alex's chest, eyes closed as he thoroughly enjoyed the scratching behind his ears. It should feel gross, Charlie was sure it should. But there was still a very visible grin on Alex's lips, and the set of his shoulders was far from the tense line Charlie was used to seeing. His hair was sticking on one side where Lucky had nuzzled into it, and it was so freaking endearing the younger boy was torn between smoothing it down or just having Alex looking like an adorable dork for once. 

Charlie felt like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He shook his head, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. 

“I'm good,” he forced the words out and winced a bit at how strained indeed he sounded. 

Alex frowned but nodded in agreement. They walked side-by-side for a few more minutes, and Charlie could see Alex stealing worried, curious glances towards him but he didn't push — for what Charlie was grateful. 

Only when he felt he was not at a big risk of his voice cracking, he dared to say, “I didn't know you were so fond of dogs.”

Alex's features softened, and he nodded with a fond smile. “Yeah... We had a dog back in our old town, I grew up around her. She was more Peter's than mine, actually, but still, she was part of my childhood, and it was pretty hard to leave her behind.”

“What happened?” Charlie frowned, eyes fixed on Alex.

“We moved here, and both my mom and my dad started on heavier workloads... Also, Peter was going to college soon, so it was decided that she'd be better staying back with a couple that was old friends with my parents. They had a baby coming, and she was an old dog already. It would do her more good staying with them than whatever our hectic lives would be here,” Alex let out a sigh, nostalgic. “I quite miss her, though. I wouldn't want to have another dog to replace her or anything like that, but she really left a blank space behind.”

“That's-- sad and lovely at the same time. I'm sorry you had to leave her,” said Charlie earnestly. “What was her name?”

“Sparkles,” answered Alex, eyes misty with memories. 

Charlie balked, eyebrows raising. “You named your dog Sparkles?”

“ _Peter_ named our dog Sparkles,” corrected Alex defensively, a little more down-to-earth in face of Charlie's disbelieving tone. “I had no say in that.”

“Right,” said Charlie, amused. “What would you have named her, if it was only up to you?”

“I was five, all right?” Alex scowled. “Sparkles seemed like an appropriate name at the time. And now I can't see her being called any other name. And you're such an asshole,” he added, shoving Charlie's shoulder playfully when the younger boy cracked up in a laugh. “What did you call your pets then, when you were younger? Since you seem to be so much better at picking names than I was.”

Charlie shook his head, returning to the jogging track Alex had shoved him out of. “I didn't-- there were no pets for me, as I grew up.”

Alex's brow furrowed, and he turned to look at Charlie with a baffled expression. “What do you mean? Not even a fish? A hamster?”

“No,” laughed Charlie, shaking his head. “My dad was never a big fan of the idea, so it wasn't much of an option, to begin with. But it's not a big deal,” he added quickly to the dumbfounded look that was growing on Alex's face. “I can't really miss something I've never had, right?”

“I suppose you can't,” conceded Alex. “But you, like-- never even wanted one, when you were a kid?”

Charlie grimaced, giving in. “For a while there, I did. But I was dissuaded from the notion very early on, and after a certain age, it just didn't seem important anymore,” he shrugged.

“Huh,” said Alex, still frowning. “That's so bizarre. I would have easily said you're a dog person.”

“Why's that?” Asked Charlie with a smile. It wasn't the first time he was hearing this. 

“You're so... Active, and caring, and kind all the time. You'd make for an awesome dog owner,” stated Alex. “Also, the hugs. You have a hug thing going. Probably a football thing. Dogs like that a lot — sometimes more than some humans.”

“Do you count yourself among said humans?” Asked Charlie unassumingly, inching closer to the older boy.

“Charles, don't you dare,” warned Alex in a slightly hitched voice, steps faltering as he tried to quickly shy away. 

Charlie laughed but nodded his defeat, shoving his hands into his pockets. But when Alex took his place back by his side on the jogging track, he did throw an arm over the older boy's shoulders as they walked the last meters to the park's exit. And while Alex did let out a long-suffering sigh just to make his point, he didn't try to push his way out of the embrace. In fact, if Charlie wasn't imagining things — and he was pretty sure he wasn't because his body was too aware of Alex's proximity to miss any details —, the older boy took a small step closer so he could fit in better under the crook of Charlie's arm. It felt comfortable, familiar, and intimate, and if it brought them inches from one another as they talked, darting eyes memorizing small details of each other's features when the other wasn't looking, none of them said anything about it. 

They huddled into Charlie's car and crammed the AC on as they headed to Monet's. It was one of their favorite places in town, and as per usual, they picked up a table by the windows with their frappuccinos and a basket of chocolate chip cookies.

“What's on your mind?” Asked Charlie after Alex had been silent for a while, pushing the cookie basket in his direction smoothly. 

Or so he hoped. But when Alex smiled faintly, Charlie knew he had been caught in his attempt at cheering him up. Alex did pick up a cookie, though, watching it distractedly for a few seconds before speaking. 

“I was thinking,” he started slowly. “You know that small gallery downtown? The one in the street behind the Walplex?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Charlie asked curiously. 

“They have a dog shelter there,” said Alex, lifting his eyes from his cookie to Charlie. 

The quarterback hummed, mildly interested. “Do they? I didn't know.”

“Yeah, they do. And they're always needing volunteers,” Alex added, now openly staring at Charlie. 

Charlie tilted his head to the side, squinting his eyes a little. “I get the feeling you're trying to tell me something here but I'm not--”

“We should volunteer,” said Alex finally. 

“Yeah, I figured it might be that,” mumbled Charlie with a sigh.

“No, just-- hear me out,” insisted Alex, laying his cookie back against the basket so he could count off his fingers all the points he wanted to make. “We can choose how many weekly hours we sign up for, so we could do it without interfering with school. Also, volunteering hours will make your flawless college applications look even better. Besides, it would be nice if you got to know some dog love, since you never got the chance so far. With the added bonus you wouldn't have to take on the responsibility of actually bringing a pet home.”

“Wow, you came up with a list quite fast,” said Charlie, impressed. 

“I've been thinking about doing this for a while,” confessed Alex. “I just kinda lacked the incentive. The moral support. Call it what you want.”

“Is that what I am now? Moral support?” Echoed Charlie, amused. 

“Charlie, come on,” said Alex impatiently. “I would really like it if you did this with me. Does this sound better?”

And if Charlie was honest, _yes,_ that sounded a lot better. But while having Alex stroking his ego made it really hard to say no to him, something else was making Charlie a bit queasy about this idea.

“I don't know, Alex... I never actually had any hands-on experience with dogs. I'm not sure if I'm best suited to this,” he explained, uncertain.

“You can just stick to attending to the public,” offered Alex. “You're good with people, if not with the dogs.”

“Right,” said Charlie, not reassured at all. “Do we get to pick what we volunteer for, by any chance?”

“I have no idea,” admitted Alex matter-of-factly. He tutted, edging forward on his seat as he looked at Charlie expectantly. “I can help you with the dogs if that's the problem. What's worrying you?”

“I don't know, what if they don't like me? What if they bite me cause they don't like me?” Reasoned Charlie.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Everybody likes you, Charlie. I'm sure dogs will too,” he reassured. “Not to mention you're like a Golden Retriever yourself. I think you may find a sense of kinship there.”

“You're so funny,” deadpanned Charlie. 

“I know, it's my thing,” smirked Alex. He kicked Charlie's ankle under the table playfully, urging him on. “ _Come on._ What do I have to say to get you to do it with me?”

Truth be told, Charlie didn't need much more than knowing Alex wanted him around to be game. But he wasn't about to miss the opportunity of having Alex spill some feelings, once the older boy was offering it so promptly. 

“Why me, though?” Charlie asked. “Why didn't you invite anyone before?”

“I never actually told anyone about Sparkles. It sounded silly to still miss a pet so much if compared to-- well, everything,” he waved a hand dismissively, and Charlie didn't need him to say out loud what _everything_ meant. “You're the first one to know.”

If Charlie needed any more convincing (he didn't), this did him in quite quickly. Alex trusted him enough to share with him a part of his life he had never shared with others. Even with those who had known him for longer. 

Fighting the smile that was trying to rise to his lips, Charlie sighed, giving in. “Fine,” he agreed. “But if they decide to team up against me, you're in charge of them. I can't stress this enough, I'm completely clueless as to how to care for a dog.”

“I'll teach you everything you need to know,” promised Alex. “I mean, everything that I know of. It's been a while since I last had a dog myself. We'll probably have to catch up on some things along the way.”

“Oh, that's so nice to hear. Extremely reassuring,” said Charlie, unimpressed. “How did I let you rope me into this?”

“You like me a lot?” Grinned Alex, and Charlie hoped that his heart skipping a beat wasn't a given on his face. “Also, maybe you got a bit taken with Lucky back there? I saw your face looking at him. You might just be a dog person, after all.”

Charlie had to put in quite some effort not to laugh out loud. Alex thought he had been looking at the dog? How naive. As cute as Lucky was, he definitely hadn't been the center of Charlie's attention earlier at the park. 

He shook his head, a small smile on his lips as he played along. “Maybe. But you were the one who seemed to only have eyes for him. I had never seen you so taken before.”

“What, are you jealous?” Alex arched his eyebrows jokingly, retrieving his forgotten cookie from the basket.

Charlie snorted out a laugh, amused. “Hardly. I like to believe I hold enough of a special place in your heart not to have to battle for your attention with any dog,” he teased. 

“True,” agreed Alex without blinking an eye. He chewed on his cookie thoughtfully before adding, “but there are similarities, though. You just forced me out of the house to tag along on a walk, and you did trick me into throwing a football to you once last week.”

“That was practice,” argued Charlie defensively, “not playing catch.”

“Several times I threw that damn football,” Alex continued, ignoring Charlie. “and you never got tired. There's also that, you have a lot of energy that makes you restless if you don't let it out--”

“I cannot believe you're seriously comparing me to a dog,” protested Charlie, amused despite himself.

“-- but I can't hold you or cuddle you, so there's also that to your disadvantage,” concluded Alex thoughtfully. “And that's the coolest part about dogs, so I don't know, it's a tough call there.”

Charlie's breath getting lodged in his throat was probably the only thing preventing him from saying that _yes, goddammit,_ Alex very much could hold him _and_ cuddle him for as long as he wanted, and Charlie wouldn't say a single word against it. Maybe now he would admit to the smallest hint of jealousy towards dogs. They could have it so easily.

His stunned silence must have stretched for longer than he realized because once he caught up to the present, Alex was speaking again. “So, are we gonna do this? Are we volunteering?”

He looked at Charlie with a mixture of hope and excitement in his eyes, and how the hell could Charlie ever say no to that. 

“Yeah,” he answered, a begrudging smile spreading slowly on his lips. “Yeah, we're totally doing this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I've missed posting stories so much! Can't wait to read your thoughts about this one. Also, don't forget to check the amazing artwork that inspired this fic to come to life.
> 
> Once we're still on posting week for the RB, I'll be updating the next chapters in this story once everyone has posted their works not to intrude on anyone's scheduled day. So I see you guys back in a few days. Thank you all so much for reading <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vonlunteering, here we go! Enjoy some Chalex shenanigans while taking care of dogs ;)

Charlie wasn't kidding when he told Alex he had zero abilities with dogs. It was the plain truth. 

They'd been volunteering at Crestmont's only dog shelter, House of Paws, for two weeks now. Alex wasn't wrong when he mentioned it would look good in their college applications. It was the point that Rosa, the shelter's manager, stressed the most as she showed them around. She seemed mildly surprised that they were choosing to be volunteers. Apparently, not a lot of teens were interested in working volunteer hours during the school year. 

Charlie was surprised himself. Not because it was volunteer hours — he actually had considered taking part in some nonprofit project at some point. But he had always pictured himself working with _people._ Dogs had never crossed his mind. 

And now, as he sat at the shelter's reception desk three days a week, checking dogs in and out and learning about each one of their stories, his heart was filled with sympathy for his new four-legged friends. The stories behind how some of those animals were rescued made Charlie's blood boil. He had never had pets of his own before, but he knew they should be seen as part of the family — so it was hard for Charlie to understand how anyone was capable of discarding a defenseless pet like it was nothing. His indignation gave him perspective and the willingness to help as much as he could, and he was glad for that. He was glad that he could connect on a deeper level to what he and Alex were doing.

That wasn't the same to say he had grown at ease around dogs. Charlie preferred paperwork and desk duty anytime. Alex was perpetually amused but he didn't say a word about it. He did call Charlie a lot to the kennels when he was tending to the dogs, though.

It amazed Charlie that Alex was so good at receiving the newcomers, and making them feel less skittish before taking them to their allotted cages. Charlie had tried to do this once, on Alex's insistence, with an old, blind Pekingese called Dot. Her snarls still followed Charlie whenever he dared to venture to the kennels to check on Alex. 

“You're afraid of them. They can feel it,” said Alex one evening as they lounged at the reception waiting for a couple that had scheduled a visit earlier that day. “They can sense your mood, and they're less likely to trust you if you are distrustful yourself.”

“I'm not _afraid_ of them,” denied Charlie. “I'm just not used to having them around.”

“Skipping on tending duty won't make them grow any more used to you,” reminded Alex. “Don't think I didn't notice you've been avoiding the kennels.”

Charlie pursed his lips, mutinous. “I don't feel like Dot likes me much back there. And she's still new and adapting, she makes the others nervous when she's nervous.”

Alex didn't answer for a while, and when Charlie lifted his eyes to him to see why he had gone so quiet all of a sudden, he was met with a half-endeared, half-exasperated expression. 

“What?” Asked Charlie warily. 

“Come on,” said Alex, standing up and nodding his head towards the kennels. “It's about time you make your peace with her.” 

“Uh-- I can't leave the reception, there are visitors coming,” supplied Charlie, eager to have an excuse to stay as far away as he could from Dot the Pekingese. 

“They're not supposed to arrive for yet another half hour. Quit being a quitter,” chastised Alex, barely holding back a smile. He inched closer to where Charlie slumped on his chair. “I've met you with more fiber than this.”

Alex grabbed his wrists and tugged half-heartedly at them, luring the younger boy out of his seat. Charlie sighed heavily but complied, following Alex to the kennels not without leaving a trail of rumbling complaints behind.

Alex let go of his hand as soon as they stopped by Dot's cage. Charlie missed the contact acutely. He had to be honest here — while these days they spent together at the shelter were doing great for them to grow even closer, this was a double-edged sword, and Charlie day in and day out risked falling to the wrong side of it. He loved that he and Alex were so in tune, and loved to learn a bit more about the older boy every day, but it was inevitable to be left with the sour feeling that he wanted more. He wanted _them_ to be more. But he didn't know how to ask for that without ruining what they already had. Charlie knew that from the moment he said something out loud, things would change between the two of them. It could change for the better, he didn't deny this possibility. But it could also turn for the worse, and this was an option he wasn't ready to face. 

Alex leaned down to Dot's cage, speaking softly to her as he unlocked the pad. Her eyes blinked blindly as she tilted her head curiously, her small muzzle sniffing the air around Alex. She recognized his scent and waggled her tail excitedly. Charlie just watched, amused. Talk about having a way with dogs. 

“Hey, girl. How are we doing today?” Said Alex softly, reaching inside the cage to pick her up in his arms. “Let us meet Charlie again, shall we?”

“Alex, easy there,” warned Charlie, taking a small step back reflexively when the older boy turned in his direction, cradling the dog against his chest. Dot had barked for thirty minutes straight the first time Charlie all but touched her. He wasn't looking forward to a replay.

“Relax,” chuckled Alex, stepping closer to Charlie with Dot nested in his arms. “That's what I'm telling you. She can feel you're hesitant, and it doesn't help your case.”

“She's been growling to me ever since she got here,” reminded Charlie, arching his eyebrows. “I don't think my hesitation is uncalled for-- ah, see, there she goes again.”

And indeed, as soon as Alex was one foot away from Charlie, Dot proceeded to growl, head turning towards the younger boy warily. Alex stroked her back gently, and her tail gave a tentative waggle. 

“She just needs to warm up to you,” said Alex, closing the remaining distance until he was right in front of Charlie, the tips of their sneakers almost touching. Alex didn't seem to notice. Charlie was positively sweating. “Here, gimme your hand.”

“Come again?” Charlie stuttered.

“Give me your fucking hand,” insisted Alex, lifting his gaze to Charlie, and for the first time seeming to realize how close they were standing. He blinked, tilting his head up some more so he could look into Charlie's eyes. “If you pet her, she'll start to get used to your touch. Here, let me--”

He reached out to take Charlie's hand and delicately placed it on top of Dot's back. A low grumbling sound still emanated steadily from her. 

“Easy,” muttered Alex gently, soothing Dot with the sound of his voice and his own touch joined with Charlie's. He moved the younger boy's fingers to her ears, scratching them lightly. “This is the way to her heart. Go ahead, give it a try.”

Charlie still seemed skeptical but he complied. And to his surprise, after the first tense seconds, most of the grumbling subsided and Dot looked the tamest Charlie had ever seen her since she got to the shelter. 

“Talk to me,” said Alex, “let her get used to your voice.”

“What do you want me to say?” Asked Charlie, concentrating on his movements, trying his best not to do anything to startle Dot once she finally seemed calmer in his presence. The thought was oddly satisfying. 

“Anything. Tell me how you're liking it here so far,” prompted Alex. 

“It's been good, I'm enjoying it,” answered Charlie shortly, too focused on not messing up to be very elaborate. 

“Yeah, that won't do,” chuckled Alex. “Come on, use your words. I know you have a lot of them.”

Charlie laughed, sneaking an apologetic glance at Alex. “Sorry, I just-- got distracted here.” He cleared his throat, fingers still scratching Dot's ears as he thought the last two weeks through. “It's been surprisingly good. Better than I expected. I mean, most of the time I still feel like I have no aptitude to tend to dogs but it's so rewarding to help them find a new home. They look so happy, and the new owners look so happy, and it's an overall very sweet and touching moment, and I'm all here for that.”

“I'm sure you are,” said Alex fondly. Charlie risked a look at him — his eyes were on Dot but the smile on his face was wide and dimpled. “I'm glad you found things to like about being here. I'd hate to know I tricked you into doing something you don't enjoy.”

“You know that's hard to happen whenever you're involved,” countered Charlie earnestly. “I like spending time with you.”

“Yeah, me too,” agreed Alex, eyes lifting to Charlie's once again. And this time, they remained. 

Charlie wondered if he was imagining the electric undercurrent passing between them. He wondered if he was imagining his breath hitching or the mist in Alex's gaze. His mouth was very dry all of a sudden. He licked his lips unconsciously and Alex's eyes followed the movement, and _Jesus,_ Charlie was so, so gone for this boy. 

He had barely made up his mind — barely started to lean down to capture Alex's lips with his, when the bell in the reception door chimed, and both Alex and Charlie jumped apart dazedly, the spell broken with the arrival of the soon-to-be new pet owners. Their sudden movement startled Dot and she latched on a litany of high-pitched barks, taking personal offense that they gave her a scare her out of nowhere.

“You should go see them,” suggested Alex with a smile. But it was a strained one, as if the older boy was putting a huge effort into the gesture. “I'll calm Dot down and get her back to her cage.”

“Right,” answered Charlie, nodding distractedly. “Right,” he repeated, and this time he was sure he was not imagining his voice coming out as strained as Alex's smile. Charlie turned on his heels and went back to the reception before he could change his mind.

He was all smiles and kind words and sweet encouragements as he talked to the young couple that seemed to be there looking forward to expanding their family — but his mind was still replaying Alex's eyes fixed on his lips a few minutes ago. He wondered yearningly how things might have played out if they hadn't been interrupted.

* * *

The lines got a bit blurred after their almost kiss in the backroom. Not necessarily in a bad way. They still saw each other every day at school, and Charlie still dropped by to drive Alex to and from the shelter, and Alex still spent every minute he wasn't caring for the dogs with Charlie at the reception. But _something_ had definitely changed. Like a lamp switching on, all of a sudden they were hyperaware of each other's presence. Where before they seemed to tentatively tiptoe around each other, now their shared moment had lent them some reassurance regarding their mutual intentions.

They stood closer now when they walked together in the park, and if their fingers brushed all the way around the jogging track, it was far from incidental. They still had their daily caffeine doses at Monet's, and if Alex rested his leg against Charlie's as they sat opposite each other at their usual table, Charlie wouldn't say a word. Charlie fussed over the state of Alex's uniform on every shift they had at the shelter, and despite Alex's long-suffering expression as he waited for the younger boy to finish brushing dog's shed from his apron, there was always a smile on his lips as he mouthed a 'thank you' when Charlie handed him his uniform back. 

It was a carefully achieved balance, just waiting to see which one of them would be bold enough to tip the scale first. It felt daring and thrilling at the same time, because while at this point it was obvious that their interests were mutual, taking the next step was a one-way road they couldn't come back from. And this had been a concern of Charlie's way before things had escalated to this point, but now it all felt more real. _Now_ there was no denying the possibility that a 'them' hung very close on the horizon, enough to make them over-conscious and excited and dizzy — but also wary and careful how to proceed, both caring too much about the space they had carved in each other's lives not to consider the implications of taking things further.

Then a Sunday morning shift caught them by surprise in more than one way. It was unusual for them just to be in the shelter in the morning, especially on a weekend — but the sisters that had that shift would need the day off, and Rosa had asked if Charlie and Alex could cover for them. So here they were, yawning and sleepy, mumbling a bit about waking up early on the weekend, but present and ready and instantly softened as soon as they were reunited with the dogs. 

Morning shifts had a lot more duties to attend to, they soon learned. Even Charlie, who usually preferred to stay at the reception, was roped into feeding and cleaning and playing with the dogs. It wasn't bad, not when he had Alex to guide him and give him tips on how to make tending to the dogs easier. 

Despite hectic, it was all going all right just fine — until Rosa scurried to them in the kennels, her expression a mixture of excitement and worry. 

“You boys won't believe what happened,” said the middle-aged woman with a huge grin. “Chewbacca was adopted!”

Both Alex and Charlie cheered at the news, smiles mirroring the one on Rosa's face. Chewbacca was a giant mutt that was currently the dog to be at the shelter for the longest time. Aside from visibly being mixed race, he was too big and seemingly scary, but as his name suggested, it was just his tough exterior. He was actually a big softie underneath all that, usually overlooked because he was far from the ideal of what people looked for when adopting a dog. 

“We've only got one small problem,” Rosa added with a grave expression. “The new owner promised to drop by before lunch to pick him up, so Chewie needs to be bathed and brushed before she comes by.” She looked at them with a funny expression that was half hesitant, half expectant. “I'd usually not ask you boys to do it but we are seriously understaffed today...”

“Don't worry, we can handle it,” said Alex reassuringly. Rosa gave them an approving look and a set of instructions and bounced back to her office so she could tend to the paperwork regarding Chewie's adoption.

“We can handle it?” Echoed Charlie as soon as Rosa had disappeared back into the building. He turned around to look at Alex fully, every line of his face painted with a layer of befuddlement. “Alex, we definitely can't. Chewie is _huge._ Don't get me wrong, I'm really fond of him, but he is the size of a goddamn pony. And he doesn't like his bath time. Tell me again how exactly it is that we can _handle it._ ”

“Would you just chill the fuck down,” said Alex urgently, looking over Charlie's shoulder to see if Rosa wasn't somehow listening to this. “We'll figure it out. It's two of us for just one dog. I thought you were one to like working in teams?”

It turned out Charlie would pick football over bathing a giant dog any given day. He lost count of how many times Chewie attempted to escape, but the number of successful tries that had Charlie chasing him around in the backyard amounted to four. In the end, Charlie had to bodily hold Chewie in place as Alex washed down the remaining soap from his long brown fur, the dog's heartfelt wails expressing his outrage at being so disrespected. By the time Alex turned off the hose for the last time, they were both soaked to their bones. 

“Okay, maybe I underestimated the amount of work we'd have to put into this,” admitted Alex while they escorted a dry, fluffy, and cheerful Chewie back to his cage. Drying and brushing time had done wonders to his mood, and his tail waggled happily from side to side as they walked down the hallway to the kennels. He didn't resemble at all the wailing little beast that tried to evade bathtime at all costs half an hour ago.

Charlie threw a sideway glance at Alex — he was less soaked then Charlie, but not by much. He'd given up on his apron midway through their work, and it hung in a wet heap from his shoulder. Charlie could see Alex's shirt clinging to his chest, and he averted his eyes before he got too caught up with the sight. 

“It's cute how you still go for _maybe,_ ” said Charlie lightly, one hand lifting to shake the water that clung to the ends of his hair. It splattered on Alex's face, and the older boy let out a long sigh, looking at Charlie slightly guilty. 

“I'm sorry, okay?” He said, eyes traveling down Charlie's body, wincing when he noticed the state of his clothes. Charlie wasn't kidding when he said he had to bodily restrain Chewie. He didn't think there was a single part of his body that could still be considered dry. “Shit, you're soaked through.”

Charlie shrugged half-heartedly. “It's fine, at least we're close to finishing this shift. It would be worse if this happened as soon as we got here. Besides, it was for a good cause,” he added, patting Chewie's head fondly. The dog's tongue lolled out of his mouth in a dog-like smile and Charlie grinned back at him. “This big boy will be looking his best when he gets to his new home.”

“You got really better with them, you know,” stated Alex matter-of-factly as they walked back to the dressing room in search of some paper towels to dry themselves. “From someone who wouldn't even come close to the kennels on the first week, you're even soft on Chewie now. You've warmed up to _Dot._ If that's not a change, I don't know what else is.”

“A lot of encouragement and some mild pressure from your part helped with it too, so cheers,” said Charlie, lifting his water bottle in mock-salute before gulping half of it down in one go. “But you were right — this was a type of affection I had never experienced before. And here we can't even get too attached to them in case they get adopted, but even so, it's hard not to grow fond of them,” admitted Charlie with a smile. 

Alex smiled back softly, handing Charlie some paper towels. “Yeah, I hear you. I lost count of how many times I've wanted to take one of them home. Maybe all of them, on occasion.”

“Why don't you?” Asked Charlie, putting his water bottle aside and drying his clothes as best as he could. 

“Life's kind of uncertain now... I don't know if I'll get to college this year, so it's not the best time to be thinking of adopting a dog, when I'm not sure how my near future is going to be,” said Alex.

“It's a shame,” grimaced Charlie sympathetically, “you like them so much.”

“Yeah, well, I'm coming back to visit them after we're done volunteering. Rosa already said I can,” disclosed Alex with a smile. “I can't part from Dot now, not before she's adopted. She's grown really fond of me. I just wish I could take her in.”

“Of all the dogs in this shelter, is Dot really the one you'd pick to take home if you could?” Asked Charlie, amused. “Jesus, if you want to keep me away, there are other ways to say it, Alex.”

“Don't be silly,” Alex rolled his eyes, a grin parting his lips as he discarded his apron on a chair. “She even likes you now, sometimes--”

“ _Sometimes_ being the keyword,” stressed Charlie, grabbing more paper towels for his hair. 

“-- and I'm sure she would warm up to you eventually, given time, if I were to adopt her,” finished Alex, ignoring Charlie's comment. “It has nothing to do with keeping you away.”

“I don't know, when you consider getting a guard dog that doesn't like the sight of me, it kind of feels personal,” mused Charlie. 

“You gotta be really dense if you think keeping you away is my to-go plan,” snorted Alex, shaking his head.

Charlie waited three excruciatingly long seconds to make sure his ears weren't tricking him before he turned around to look at Alex fully, his eyes both questioning and hopeful. “What's your plan, then?”

Alex balked, looking back at Charlie hesitantly as if he hadn't expected the younger boy to latch on to his reply. “Uh, I don't-- I'm not sure what you mean.”

“I mean,” started Charlie, and he could sense the tentativeness he had heard in Alex's voice seeping into his own. “If your plan is not to keep me away, what-- what exactly is it?”

Alex just stared back at him, at a loss for words, and honestly, Charlie could relate. He didn't know how to answer that question either. If he had any idea of what course of action was the best to take, he was sure he would have taken it already. 

He could see in Alex's face all his doubts and fears and reservations, but he also saw hope and want and longing. And if Charlie knew a thing or two about himself, he was sure his own expression wasn't very different. 

Charlie couldn't say for sure which of them moved first — he would probably never know. But when they met halfway, Alex tilting his head up and Charlie's hand fitting just perfectly in the underside of his jaw, their lips slotting together in the most anticipated kiss of their lives, it didn't really matter who had made the first move. It actually felt just right that they both made up their minds at the same time, Charlie thought vaguely in the functional part of his brain that hadn't been short-circuited by Alex's closeness, and his touch, and the warmth of his body seeping through their damp shirts. Charlie felt a shiver running down his body that had nothing to do with his wet, cool clothes. Alex's fingers entering through his hair, nails gently grazing his scalp, were more likely to be the cause of it. 

He cradled Alex's face on his hands, slowly backing the older boy up against the worn, shared lockers, a lead that Alex followed happily, pulling Charlie closer against his body as he deepened the kiss. Charlie was having a hard time remembering they were still on duty hours, and at a very public and open place nonetheless. Judging by the way the older boy was responding in kind, that wasn't a concern at the forefront of his mind either. Alex's heart was speeding against his own where their chests were snugly pressed together, and this feeling alone was enough to make Charlie dizzy. This was _real_. He had imagined this so many times in his head, and still, none of his expectations held a candle to reality.

Alex bit on his bottom lip, and Charlie sucked in a surprised breath, a low moan escaping his mouth along with all rational thought for a moment. He pulled away while he still felt like he could, peering down at the older boy slightly out of breath, taking the break in their rhythm as an opportunity to clean the fog in his mind a bit. Alex stared back at him seemingly just as affected, his eyes huge and eager, and Charlie felt like he was drowning into the earnestness of his gaze. 

“Fucking finally,” was the first thing that came out of his reddened lips, and Charlie was too distracted at first watching how they shaped around his words to register what he'd said. He gasped out a laugh when he processed what Alex had said. 

“Are you serious-- right back at you, mister!” Said Charlie, impossibly amused. “Do you have any idea how long I've been wanting to do this?”

“I truly hope at least as long as me. I'm not one to enjoy suffering alone,” informed Alex, holding back a smile. His arms tangled around Charlie's neck, keeping him close, and Charlie low-key expected to wake up in his bed anytime now. “What took you so long?”

Charlie hummed thoughtfully, considering the question. “I quite like how we are? I mean, I wouldn't wanna risk losing you as a friend. Even if it was becoming harder by the day to keep myself from doing this.”

“I know what you mean,” muttered Alex, eyes tracing Charlie's features slowly, fondly, reveling on the newfound opportunity to do this from up this close. “I was too chicken to take things one step ahead too, cause I really like what we have already. And I was afraid of how it could change us.”

Charlie leaned down, touching his forehead to Alex's, eyes falling shut as a smile won over his face. “We'll make it work in a way we don't have to drop aside what we already have. We'll talk things through, for a change?”

“Sure,” agreed Alex in an amused tone that had Charlie opening his eyes again to look at him, curious. “But maybe not just right away? I mean, I could do with some more of this,” and he emphasized what he meant by lightly tugging Charlie closer by the collar of his shirt, “before we get around to any serious talk.”

Charlie grinned, more than happy to comply, hands coming to a rest on Alex's hips. “I agree. But I gotta say — making out in the backroom of a dog shelter was not how I had pictured this happening.”

“Me neither,” agreed Alex, scrunching up his nose. “You smell like wet dog.”

“Shut up,” snorted Charlie. Alex just grinned, giving his shirt one more enthusiastic tug.

It was Charlie's turn to follow his lead, and he was eager to comply. He kissed Alex for the second, glorious time in his life, his mind blanking yet again for anything that wasn't the two of them and the perfect slide of their lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly hope you guys liked this chapter! It was really fun to write. The next part is an epilogue of sorts, I'll come back with it in a few days. In the meantime, give me your thoughts about this one. Your opinions mean the world to me <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the epilogue! I really hope you guys all enjoyed this story just as much as I did writing it. Chalex + pets was not something I had ever considered writing about before the RB, so I'm really glad for this opportunity of getting out of my comfort zone and creating this sweet, fluffy story based on such amazing artwork.
> 
> Hope you guys like how this one wraps up <3

It turned out Charlie and Alex had nothing to worry about. That is to say, once they talked and cleared out any worries or doubts that could still hold them back, falling into a new routine where they were an item was easier than they thought it would be. Very little changed between them, and they were both thankful and happy for it. They liked too much how their relationship worked as friends to want things to stray much from that. The main difference now was that they got to do all of the things that had been playing in the back of their minds as wishful dreams during the time they had been pining over each other. 

They got used to being boyfriends quite quickly. It was actually an inside joke between the two of them — how they were already such a part of each other's lives that they didn't need to make much room to accommodate the other. They went on their walks at the park together, they had lunch at school together, they worked at the shelter together — they did it all before as friends, and they kept doing so as boyfriends. Only now there was a lot of hand-holding, and cuddling on each other's beds, and making out at every opportunity they had. Now, when they lifted their heads in the middle of doing their homework and caught the other staring, their eyes didn't rush to hide they'd been looking. Their gazes remained locked on each other's for a few seconds, knowing smiles spreading on their lips as they turned their attentions back to their books contently. 

So all in all, things were going well. He and Alex falling into place so naturally was the best, most anticipated turn of events Charlie could have hoped for. But it wasn't the only surprise he saw carving its space into his life, much to his astonishment. 

They were nearing the end of their two-month period as volunteers at the shelter. He and Alex were still debating whether they would give it a shot at volunteering again on summer break, but this was, for now, the last week they would be working at House of Paws. Charlie was sadder than he imagined he would be. He missed the dogs already, a notion he was a complete stranger to when all of this started. But the quarterback had learned it was impossible to be constantly around dogs and not to be swept by their eager, honest charm. He understood better now why some of his friends turned into complete mush at the mere sight of them. 

But still, even after all his newfound familiarity with dogs, Charlie didn't share the need for owning one. Don't get him wrong — if anything, this experience at the shelter had served to show him he actually liked dogs way more than he believed possible at first. But that was about it. He was fond of them and wanted to see all of the dogs in the world happy and with responsible, loving owners, but he didn't wish to bring one of his furry friends home. 

Which is why when he found himself sitting at the edge of his bed, staring lovingly at a large tabby cat snoozing in a cushion in the corner of his bedroom, Charlie had to give himself some pause and think back to how the hell the tables had turned so fast for him.

It happened two days ago. When Alex reemerged from the kennels to find Charlie looking dumbstruck at the reception, a green blanket bundled in his lap, his boyfriend could tell immediately that something was out of place. 

“What happened?” He asked worriedly, coming closer to where Charlie sat in his swivel chair. 

Charlie whirled around, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as he moved the blanket in his lap to reveal a curious cat poking its head from under it. 

“Whoa,” said Alex, taken aback, eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to understand what he was seeing. “I'll ask again: _what happened?_ ”

“I-- I'm not entirely sure,” answered Charlie in a daze, his voice sounding bemused even to his own ears. “This lady came in here in tears, begging us to take her cat in because she would have to move to the other side of the country on short notice, and she had no one to leave her cat with...”

“Charlie, we don't work with cats,” remembered Alex, eyes focused on the bundle in Charlie's arms. 

“I know, that's what I told her,” countered Charlie impatiently. “But she seemed really desperate, and she said she'd just spayed her cat so she couldn't be alone for long, and honestly, she might have played some guilt-tripping card there, and I'm not shy to say it worked,” Charlie glanced at the cat in his lap, still looking like he'd been hit on the head. Hard. “At some point, she just shoved the cat in my arms and bolted. I didn't have it in me to chase her down the street and make her take her cat back.”

“Of course,” said Alex, a slight frown on his forehead as he leaned down to peer at the cat. “What's her name?”

“Fuzzy,” answered Charlie with a fond smile, and Alex's eyes snapped back to his face with an alarmed look. 

He seemed to debate his next words, but in the end, he settled for, “Alright, I'll talk to Rosa and see what we can do. Ideally, we can place her into a foster house at least until we send word for a permanent owner. She can't be here, the dogs wouldn't give her a break,” sighed Alex heavily, mumbling under his breath about how this was a dog shelter, for fuck's sake, can't people read a fucking sign. 

He was almost in the hallway leading to Rosa's office when Charlie spoke up. “I could take her in.”

Alex turned in his heels, eyebrows raised. “I'm sorry?”

“I could-- you know, keep her for a bit while we search for an owner,” said Charlie, licking his dry lips nervously. 

Alex slowly walked back to his boyfriend, amusement and understanding dawning on his face. “You never had a cat before,” he pointed out. 

“I know,” said Charley defensively, clutching his hold around Fuzzy as if he expected someone to take her from him at any minute. 

“I wasn't even aware that you liked cats,” tried Alex again. 

_“I know,”_ sighed Charlie exasperated, lowering his gaze back to Fuzzy dejectedly. She looked back at him with her huge yellow eyes and blinked slowly. “I didn't know either, I was never in close contact with a cat before. But-- don't get me wrong, I've learned I like dogs quite a lot and everything, but when that woman passed this little one for me, it just felt-- different.” He looked at Fuzzy again, trying to make sense of what he was saying and failing. “I kind of don't wanna let go of her.”

“Oh, my God, you're a cat person, after all,” said Alex amused, looking at his big dork of a boyfriend with nothing but fondness in his eyes. He reached to stroke playfully at the cat's head, and Fuzzy closed her eyes and purred contently. “She's quite sociable. I think you two will get along just fine. Of course, when we leave here, we'll have to stop by the pet store to get her food and a litter box--”

“Wait,” interrupted Charlie, surprised. “You don't think it's insane that I want to keep her?”

“I said nothing about keeping her,” corrected Alex. “For starters, let's stick with the idea of you taking her in until we find a permanent owner. But if in the meantime you find out that you actually wanna stay with her for good, sure, why not. You still have one more year before thinking of college, and a few dorms actually are pet-friendly,” he shrugged. “I don't think it's insane at all.”

Charlie's grin took over his whole face. He surged forwards, Fuzzy firmly secured against his chest, and pressed his lips against Alex's lovingly.

“Thank you. I don't think I'd ever consider doing this if it wasn't for you,” he mumbled, grateful. Alex shrugged one arm self-consciously, dismissing Charlie's thanks with a small smile. “Will you help me get her settled in? I really wanna do it, but I don't know the first thing about cats.”

“Thar makes two of us,” offered Alex, amused. “I only know the basics, so I'd say your amazing googling skills would come in handy now. Here, let me hold her while you do your searching thing.”

Charlie passed Fuzzy to Alex and reclaimed his seat at the reception desk. Fuzzy meowed some at first, wary at the smell of dog clinging to Alex's clothes, but she eased into him bit by bit as the older boy scratched her neck steadily. Charlie opened the browser and quickly pulled up some pointer for new cat owners.

“Yeah, litter box and food, check... also toys, and a scratching post, it seems. My dad will lose it if he comes back to find the house scratched all over,” mused Charlie out loud, more to himself than to Alex. “It says here cats are quite independent, though, so that's an upside.”

“She can take care of herself just fine,” said Alex, booping Fuzzy's small nose playfully. She meowed in agreement.

“That's interesting,” added Charlie, smile widening as he read the rest of the article. “Hear this out: _cats prefer to stay indoors. They can spend a huge part of their days sleeping. Don't wake up your cat, if you can avoid it. Interrupting their sleep can make them grumpy._ ” He turned around to look at Alex now with a full grin on his face. “Does any of that sound familiar?”

“I'm sure I don't know what you mean,” said Alex nonchalantly.

“Hold on, there's more,” said Charlie, swiveling back to face the computer. “ _They don't like heavy exercise and can be left on their own for hours at a time. They also aren't keen on being cuddled or petted when they don't feel like it_ — oh man, this is the best thing ever--”

“Can you just please stop it, I can see where you're going with this,” sighed Alex tiredly.

“-- _but_ ,” Charlie stressed, lifting one finger for emphasis, “even though cats like to do their own thing, they still need plenty of love and affection.”

Charlie turned around again, delighted grin still in place, to find Alex looking at him positively unimpressed. “I set myself up for this one, didn't I? I feel you've been waiting for the right opportunity to get back at me.”

The younger boy chuckled, wheeling towards his boyfriend. “I probably have,” admitted Charlie amused, stopping short of Alex's chair, hands resting on his parted knees as he leaned over to peck his lips fondly. Fuzzy meowed and pawed at Charlie's chin, pushing him back. They both looked down at her surprised and burst out into laughter.

“Seems I'll have to share your attention now,” smiled Alex, petting the cat's soft fur affectionately.

“I assure you I have room in my heart for the two of you,” replied Charlie, hands squeezing playfully at Alex's thighs. “I mean, if your personalities are so similar, it can't be too hard to love you both.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling we'll be having a lot of cat jokes for a while,” he mused out loud, eyes glued to the ceiling.

Charlie shrugged, retrieving Fuzzy from his boyfriend's lap with a grin. “I think it's only fair. You've been throwing dog puns my way for two months now, about time I get some payback.”

“You shouldn't be allowed to look so cute while you're annoying the shit out of me,” said Alex exasperated, the corner of his lips turning slightly upwards in a barely repressed smile. “Though I'll give Fuzzy most of the credit here. She improves your levels of cuteness in like, 80%.”

“And I'm not afraid to abuse it,” intoned Charlie cheerfully. He lifted Fuzzy up to his eye level, staring into her huge eyes with a smirk. “What do you say, sweetie? Isn't Alex the perfect copy of Grumpy Cat right now?”

Fuzzy meowed loudly. Charlie's grin was too big for his face.

Alex was not amused. (Except he was. Deep down, under his outward grumpiness, Charlie could tell he was.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKA is just too good to be true and drew yet another art for this story. I'm still in tears just by looking at it. Come love some more Chalex fluff [here on Tumblr](https://ok3v3.tumblr.com/post/631956392091189248/i-took-the-liberty-of-drawing-cecils-fic-fanart)! Give her all the love she deserves. I really have the RB to thank for gifting me with such an amazing person for this collab.
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading this story! Please be kind to let me know your thoughts about it <3


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